Shabbos Parashas Ki Savo - 5774

Shabbos Parashas Ki Savo - 5774

Rabbi Hal Miller

You shall come to the Kohen who will be in those days and you shall say to

him, "I have told today to Hashem your G-d that I have come to the Land that

Hashem swore to our forefathers to give us." [Devarim 26:3]

There could be some confusion here regarding who this commandment is directed

toward. Does it apply only when a Kohen is serving in the Temple? Is it only

for those who "come to the land"? Does it apply to a convert, to whose

forefathers Hashem did not swear to give the land? Does it apply to the nation

collectively or can it apply to individuals? Can this be done at any time, or

is it necessarily tied to something else? What is the point of the mitzvah?

Ramban ties the mitzvah to bikkurim, the subject of the previous two verses:

"By means of this fruit that I have brought, I have told, i.e., acknowledged,

to Hashem your G-d that I have come to the land that He swore to our

forefathers to give us." Ramban teaches that the bikkurim is our

acknowledgement that G-d has fulfilled His promise, and that we must praise

and thank Him for it.

Rav Hirsch views it slightly differently. He says, "By bringing the fruit of

my land up to you, I have demonstrated thereby that I only possess my orchards

and fields as the descendant of my forefathers." Since G-d promised the land

to Avraham, we inherit it because of his merit, not our own. Thus we owe

thanks and praises for this gift. Since it is not ours by right, we must pay

a tribute of the first of our crop and of our blessings. Sforno agrees with

this approach when he writes, "it is incumbent upon anyone who has received

the land as either a gift or even as a tenant to present to the real owner of

the land in recognition of His largesse." But Sforno seems to be expanding

the list here when he includes "a gift or even as a tenant". Does this mean

that bikkurim is not limited to the descendants of Avraham?

Rav Moshe Feinstein points out another possible point of confusion. "This is

said even by a person that was born on the land that was owned by his

ancestors, who did not come to the land at all." He explains that by bringing

bikkurim, one is proclaiming his faith in G-d, and says that this is the key

to the mitzvah.

Nechama Leibowitz addresses the convert status. She brings the Rambam: "A

proselyte brings the first fruits and recites the declaration, as is stated

regarding Avraham, 'For a father of a multitude of nations have I made you'

[Bereishis 17:5]". When Obadiah, a convert. asked Rambam whether it was

correct for him to refer in his prayers to "the G-d of our fathers", Rambam

answered, "just as every native-born Israelite prays and recites benedictions,

so you should do." Rambam explained that Avraham brought people under the

umbrella of G-d's Goodness. Technically, we are all converts to G-d, whether

born of the flesh of Avraham directly, or of the spirit of Avraham under his

covenant with G-d. All who accept the Torah and its commandments are subject

to the status of coming to the land. The status existed before there were

Kohanim, during the times of the Temple, and since. Although we may not be

able to bring our 'rent' to a Kohen, we are subject to the requirement, and

merely await the day when we can fulfill the command. In the mean time, we

are liable to giving thanks and praises to G-d.